Tuesday, February 26, 2013

British Politician Tells Local Paper It Can't Quote Him Because He Dislikes Its Readers' Comments

from um a pussy dept. & some thin is up my ass LMAO

British Politician Tells Local Paper It Can't Quote Him Because He Dislikes Its Readers' Comments

from the didn't-really-think-this-out-at-all,-did-you? dept

Being
in the public arena is not for the thin-skinned. Or, at least, that
used to be the case, right up until the internet made it possible for
thousands to give instant (usually negative) feedback on public figures'
statements, actions, sudden weight gain, etc. True, older,
thicker-skinned public figures had it much easier "back in the day," but
today's political aspirant should know that a.) their life is an open
(face)book and b.) the angriest people talk (type) the LOUDEST.

So, a local politician who deals with local issues would rather not
answer questions from the local paper. One of the correspondents for the
offending paper logically asked (via Twitter), "Isn't that his job?"

Why doesn't Hawtree want to talk to his district's paper of record?

Hawtree tweeted in response: "I have a great dislike of the Argus readers' comments and so prefer to appear in other papers."

That normally wouldn't be a problem, but Brighton & Hove's only paper is
the Argus. Hawtree apparently would like to be the sort of public
figure that can coast through several successful terms, untroubled by
his local paper and mouthy constituents. But if that's truly the sort of
person he wishes to be, he needs to drop the "public figure" part of
it.

Not only will he not respond to the paper's inquiries, but he's actively steering anyone who will listen towards an alternative "paper of record."

So, given that the city of Brighton & Hove is served by only one
title, what "other papers" does he prefer? The New York Times,
evidently, because he urges his followers to sign up for a subscription.

I'm not sure how much longer Hawtree's planning to "serve" his
community, but I would think his constituents will be trimming a few
months or years off that total. It's pretty tough to remain a community
leader when you've implied that many in the community are "dreadful" and
"hateful." Topping it off by cutting the press out of the loop makes
Hawtree look like the sort of person who'd be better off returning to
the private sector and becoming a hermit, rather than attempting to
bypass all that "unpleasant" communication the real world's known for.